9/8/13

Four (4) Salient Points To Strengthen Your Team(s)

My beliefs
don’t changes much from company to company.I say this because I have always contended that in most any company, it
is PRIMARILY about people.All of the
people, customers included.So here is
the short version of this concept:

1.ACCOUNTABILITY; Every employee must take ownership and
accountability of their actions.No
excuses, YOU MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.I don’t accept finger pointing and my method
of resolving issues is simple.I get
both or all parties of conflict in the room immediately upon being aware and
then it starts something like this…..”….He said that you said XXX.Is that true?”Then I turn it around.Believe me once the word gets spread that
people can’t pass the buck, the buck passing stops.

2.PROPRIETARY
SPACE:We have to be very careful here as people who
are insecure seem to take invasion of their space, very personal.But on the other hand there are employees who
just want to have their nose stuck in everybody else’s business.The later reminds me of the great big arm at
the waste treatment plant…..continuingly stirring the matter!Spend your concentration and effort in YOU
doing a good job and if one of your fellow employees is in some difficulty,
offer to help don’t just impose yourself upon them.You can get more bees with honey than you can
with vinegar.

3.YOUR
REPLACEMENT; I am a
firm believer that we should always be training our replacement.And when I state that, I inevitably hear,
“well if I train her to do my job then they won’t need me here.”This of course is ridiculous and
counterproductive to any professional team.What happens if someone experiences a catastrophic event in their lives
and can’t work?Why not have the replacement
trained and ready.What if a promotion
comes along and you don’t get it because there is no one to take your
place?In this day and age, it is very
common and pretty much expected that loyal employees are willing and able to
function in multiple roles.The more you
know and the more you contribute the more valuable YOU become.

4.COMMUNICATION; In most companies, communication is at an all-time
low.One almost has to pry or extract in
some way, needed information.Communicate via Email, written notes, telephonically or in person, but
communicate with each other.Don’t believe
that just because you’ve been employed at your company for a long period of
time, you can come and go as you please.Communicate with each other.Learn about each other.Have
healthy open discussions to help each other understand the goals, paths and/or
expectations.And did I mention, “Communicate
with each other?”

There are 3½ months left in 2013 and this is arguably, the most important
100 days of the year.This is the time
people and companies make decisions to spend before the year comes to an end or
what they are going to buy in the first quarter.Be sure to set yourself in position to get
your piece of the sales pie as well.